Lesa Semmler

Member Inuvik Twin Lakes

Minister of Health and Social Services

Lesa Semmler currently serves as the Member representing Inuvik Twin Lakes in the 20th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, having been re-elected to the position. Born in Yellowknife, NT, and raised in Inuvik, where she still resides, Ms. Semmler has deep roots in the Northwest Territories. 

A Registered Nurse, Ms. Semmler graduated from the Aurora College Northern Nursing Program in 2000 and earned her Community Health Nurse Certification from the Canadian Nurses Association in 2008. With 15 years of frontline nursing experience at the Inuvik Regional Hospital, she focused on Acute Care, Homecare, and Public Health. Her career also included roles as the Manager of Acute Care Services and eventually the Regional Manager of Acute Care Services under the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority. Notably, she served as the Inuvialuit Health System Navigator at the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, assisting Inuvialuit Beneficiaries in navigating the healthcare system. 

Beyond her healthcare career, Ms. Semmler has actively contributed to education and community service. She served on the Inuvik District Education Authority, assuming the role of Chair from 2015 to 2018, and chaired the Beaufort Delta Education Council. Ms. Semmler participated in various working groups at the territorial and national levels, including the Inuit Tuberculosis Elimination Board and the Inuit Midwifery Revitalization. Her commitment to social justice is evident in her voluntary work as a member of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls National Family Advisory Circle, where she worked to ensure northern voices were heard and represented. Lesa Semmler's life and career reflect her passion for healthcare, education, and advocating for the well-being of her community.

Inuvik Twin Lakes Electoral District

Committees

Lesa Semmler
Inuvik Twin Lakes
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Email
Phone
(867) 767-9143
Extension
12195
Constituency Office

198 Mackenzie Rd
Unit 123
Inuvik NT X0E 0T0
Canada

P.O. Box
3130
Constituency Phone
867-678-2429
Minister
Email
Email
Minister of Health and Social Services

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 154)

Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Bill 23, Bill 29, Minister Statement 264-19(2) and Tabled Document 681-19(2) and would like to report progress. And Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 154)

I now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Member for Frame Lake.

Question 1510-19(2): Searching for Frank Gruben
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 154)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, I think the Northwest Territories is going through a lot right now, and I think the Minister is going through a lot right now in his own home community, and I think the Northwest Territories continues to be a reactive. We're always reacting to situations. And, you know, we've worked hard in this government to bring the missing and murdered to life and to make actions and Calls to Actions. And I just want the Minister to follow up with the RCMP on their section of that section 9 of the Calls to Action, because is there a way is there a department...

Member’s Statement 1510-19(2): Searching for Frank Gruben
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 154)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today, with the permission of Frank Gruben's mother Laura, I'd like to speak to everybody here, and throughout the Northwest Territories and beyond, to tell you about Frank who has been in Fort Smith attending college and was last seen on May 6th, 2023.

Frank is 30 years old from Aklavik. Frank is Inuvialuit and Gwich'in. He has a beautiful blended culture and is passionate about his traditional values he learned throughout his life. Frank loves learning and speaking the Gwich'in language. He had the most fun on the local radio station with his mentor elder...

Committee Motion 441-19(2): Committee Report 49-19(2): Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the 2021-22 Review of the Official Languages Act - Annual Official Languages Action Plan, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 153)

Thank you. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Committee Motion 461-19(2): Committee Report 51-19(2): Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on Indigenous Representation in the Northwest Territories Public Service - Indigenous Recruitment and Retention Framework, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 153)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, with the second or the sorry, with the third bullet, the education leave to help Indigenous employees to finish any education. Sometimes we have Indigenous employees that get into frontline positions, they may have, you know, some education, and then when they apply to for educational education leave, they're denied because they say well, you're already in this job and you don't need any more education to do the job. And then education leave is denied. And so some and so, and then when we look at the next one, we have people that are in frontline jobs...

Question 1500-19(2): Dempster Highway Repair
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 153)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure. I raised this numerous times in the House on the Dempster Highway and I want to know where is this Minister at with discussions with the Yukon about improving the Dempster Highway. This is the vital link to our region. We need to ensure that this goat trail is corrected, and we don't have the money on this side so it's on the Yukon side. So where is the Minister in this discussions on getting this money? Thank you.

Committee Motion 446-19(2): Committee Report 49-19(2): Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the 2021-22 Review of the Official Languages Act - Right to Receive Language Services, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 153)

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Abstentions? The motion is carried.

Carried

Member for Yellowknife North.

Committee Motion 440-19(2): Committee Report 49-19(2): Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the 2021-22 Review of the Official Languages Act - Creative Commons for Indigenous-Language Resource Material, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 153)

To the motion.

Committee Motion 454-19(2): Committee Report 51-19(2): Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on Indigenous Representation in the Northwest Territories Public Service - Capacity Building, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 153)

Thank you. We've just seen this in the lands or environment and climate change. They've targeted a position, a regional ADM position that is it gives the room for somebody in the region to an Indigenous person to grow into an ADM position, which gives them that experience. And I think the thing is that in the government, sometimes the Indigenous people are left to the side because all of the positions are in Yellowknife and not necessarily are they known and their experience is known to move up into these roles. So this is where you know, this might not happen overnight. But this is...